


Azure

by MimiFlieder



Category: Inazuma Eleven
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-05
Updated: 2013-08-05
Packaged: 2017-12-22 13:01:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/913505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MimiFlieder/pseuds/MimiFlieder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Having a chaotic friend over for the summer holidays can only end up in chaos. Especially if you both are hormone-driven teenagers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Tachimukai's family was quiet and very traditional. It had completely absorbed the unhurried aura that engulfed his hometown Fukuoka. He guessed that he himself was not much different, his parents always knew their son was the more quiet type. The more they were surprised when he asked them at the dinnertable one night if they would allow a friend to stay over the summer holidays. When a slightly surprised look passed his parents' faces, Tachimukai had immediately thought that it was not okay with them. Taking in somebody for two whole weeks was a lot to ask for, he knew that, but he had looked forward to it. Trying not to get the disappointment get to him, he studied his hands in his lap.  
He was surprised when he was met with smiles on their faces when he looked up again.  
His mother immediately started to pester him with all kind of question who the guy was she would offer her house to.

“No way! Your parents said yes? Cool! They're pretty chill, aren't they?” Tsunami's voice sounded just as cheerful over the phone as Tachimukai remembered it.  
Tachimukai laughed. “Well, I would not put it exactly like this, Tsunami-san, but I didn't think they would give me consent. Mom asked me all kind of questions about you though.”  
“What did you tell them about me? Nothing bad, did you?”  
“Mom wants to get you to eat carrots by the end of the holidays”, the younger one teased.  
“N-no problem! I can eat them! I ate Fuyuka's weird pudding-stuff, remember?” Tsunami was slightly panicked, no matter how he tried to not let it on.  
“Raw.”  
Only pained cries could be heard from the other line while Tachimukai laughed openly at his older friend's antics.

Two weeks before summer holidays always meant that the teachers decided to write a mass of surprise tests so you had to be prepared for whatever subject there was. For that reason Shika, Matsubayashi and Tachimukai thought it best to study together so they would be at their best whenever a test came.  
“What exactly have you marked in your calendar so brightly? You going somewhere nice this summer?”, asked Matsubayashi as his eyes fell onto the calendar that decorated the goalkeeper's wall (it showed landscapes).  
Tachimukai blushed a bright red. He had been so happy when Tsunami had asked him if they wanted to spent the summer together that he had framed the fourteen small boxes that represent every day he got to spend with the defender. Of course he had used a bright textmarker. And the only one he currently possessed was bright pink. It was Tsunami's hair colour but it looked more like a school girl hat framed the day of her first date.  
“So-somebody from Inazuma Japan is coming over for the holidays”, he managed to stutter out.  
Shika grinned brightly at his reaction. “Ohooo, did our little goalkeeper pick up the cute manager?”  
“N-NO! Kidou-san would kill me!”  
Tachimukai had no idea why he knew they meant Haruna, he definitely had not talked a lot about the time she (and the other first-years AND Tsunami) had helped him with developing Maou the Hand. Nope, not at all.  
“So, who's it then?”  
He muttered something.  
“What was that~?”, Shika said in a sing-song voice.  
“Tsunami-san is coming over!”, Tachimukai practically screamed. He did not even know why he got so worked up over this. It was just a friend coming over. A very fun and nice-lo, STOP, nice friend, that is.  
The two other boys just raised his brows at him.  
Exactly at that moment his phone made a small noise to let him know that he just got a text message. Glad for the diversion from the somehow embarrassing topic, Tachimukai scrambled up from the ground to grab his phone. He opened the message and froze.  
“A little message from Tsunami-san?”, mocked Shika.  
Matsubayashi knocked the other over the head, sensing that something was wrong. He quickly got up and stood next to Tachimukai. Even though he normally respected privacy, he took a tiny peek at the message that had gotten his classmate so shaken up. His mouth fell – how irresponsible could somebody be?

“My mom threw a tantrum because I only just told her that I would go to your place. She needs to take chill lessons with yours.”

Tachimukai slowly turned towards Matsubayashi so the other was able to see his panicked face, actually, Matsubayashi was sure that the goalkeeper would start crying any moment. But to his surprise Tachimukai just threw the orange object onto his bed and practically ran downstairs.  
A few seconds later he ran back up, tripping while doing so, holding the house telephone in his hand and frantically dialing a number. He held the phone against his ear, anxiously waiting for somebody to pick up.  
Just as Tachimukai was about to nervously chew on his nails, somebody picked up.  
“H-hello!”, he nearly screamed into the receiver, “T-Tachimukai here! I know that Tsunami-san made some chaos by not informing you that he would visit me in the holidays and you probably are mad at him but I wondered if it would still be okay if he came over since we won't have any other opportunity to meet up?” Tachimukai gasped for breath since he had said the monster-sentence without taking a breath.  
Whatever the person on the other line said, it had made the goalkeeper smile.  
“Thanks a lot!”  
Pause.  
“I'm going to look for her, just a moment.” With these words he stood up again and made his way downstairs into the kitchen.  
Matsubayashi slowly turned around to look at Shika who just shrugged his shoulders.  
Tachimukai appeared in the doorframe and look very proud of himself. “I think I buttered her up!”  
Who knew the sweet little boy could be that headstrong if he liked?

“I swear, that woman is just terrible! There was no need for all the drama!”  
“Tsunami-san, I don't think you would have been able to arrive if your mother had not planned the whole trip and bought the right plane ticket.”  
“Are you sayin' that I can't ride the plane? I'm your senpai!”   
After a bit of talking to Tsunami's mother Tachimukai had found out that the problem with the trip had not been the fact that the surfer had planned to come Fukuoka but rather that he had not planned it out the least. First of all, he had not informed his parents that he would be leaving, second, he had not booked his flight yet. After a lot of searching Tsunami's mother finally managed to find one that still had a free spot – it took off at an ungodly hour though. But that was probably part of Tsunami's punishment. The woman was rather sadistic if Tachimukai dared to say so.  
It was six in the morning and Tachimukai and his father had finally found the older boy who had had some problems with the passport check even though he was traveling in-country. Maybe Tsunami had been too glad to feel the ground under his feet again and had still been too riled up from the short flight to answer all questions correctly. He had come out of the control practically crawling because of the terrible flight.  
The airport was near the sea. Its smell filled the air while the small group made their way to the parking lot.  
“Don't tell me here's sea, too! I would have brought my surfboard!”, the taller boy exclaimed.  
Tachimukai's father just threw his son a look that could have been disbelief. The boy was 15 years old and still did not know where some of the tallest cities in Japan were located. He chose to just smile sheepishly. “I don't think you would have been able to take it on board-”  
“Rubbish! I was able to take it to Liocott Island!”  
“It was a private jet”, Tachimukai deadpanned but the boy had already directed his attention to something else.  
“Woah! That is your car? Looks pretty fancy! We just drive an old pick-up because it stands in front of the house most of the time anyway. It's not like we drive it much since you can get everything in town.”  
Tachimukai's father warmed up to the southern boy instantly, obviously very happy about the compliment. The car was his everything – he probably washed it more often than himself. His father had actually not been that happy about the scatter-brained boy to stay over but that one small sentence had made him change his entire opinion about him. And here Tachimukai had thought Tsunami was only good with younger children.

“I'm beat.” Tsunami flopped down on the bed right when they were finally able to go up to Tachimukai's room.  
After introductions his mother had served lunch right away and immediately warmed up to Tsunami when he commented that he would move here simply for the food. Apparently his own mother was not the most patient cook and his father a passionate fisherman which resulted every so often in a miscooked fish dish.  
“You didn't even do that much.” Tachimukai tried to make room on his own bed but gave up and sat on Tsunami instead. The other huffed and struggled to throw the younger one off. Tachimukai grinned. He had missed these carefree moments between them.  
Tsunami sighed.  
“I need ocean.”

These words said both made their way to the beach. Since Fukuoka offered many different beaches, Tachimukai had opted for the Iki-no-matsubara Beach in hope that he could maybe bring Tsunami a bit closer to culture, too. After all, the mongols had tried to invade Japan over this very beach.  
But apparently his friend was more interested in the subway which he had obviously never used before. Gladly, he did not have any problems with this kind of vehicle, Tachimukai thought when he remembered their plane trip to Liocott Island.  
The ride took about 20 minutes and left them with just a short walk until the beach. And to be honest, Tachimukai kind of wished his friend did not have to still his sea-addiction now when the sun stood highest and was glaring down harshly on them. He also wished he had remembered to put on sunscreen.   
Even though it was summer the sea here was dark and wild, unlike the warm, light water that you were able to see in Okinawa.  
“Looks like my wife has a bad day”, Tsunami stated when they finally arrived.  
“W-what?”, Tachimukai spluttered. Had Tsunami just called the sea his wife?  
The other just winked at him and ran off kicking his shoes away half-way until he stood into his beloved ocean nearly up to his knees. “OCEAN POWER!”, he shouted which resulted in most of the other visitors staring at him.   
“Tsunami-san! Be careful, we don't have any spare clothes with us!” They had left the house helter-skelter and thus had forgotten to bring any or swimming trunks for the matter.  
Tsunami turned around to raise his brows at him. “Jeez, don't be so stuck-up. It's not like it won't dry or anything.”  
“If I am supposed to be not stuck-up, I should probably also not point out that you nearly ran over a little child while greeting your wife?” Tachimukai opted to staying in the cool water only ankle-deep.  
“Who says the sea is my wife?” Tsunami grinned.   
Before Tachimukai retort anything (not that he knew what exactly he should say to that) a huge flood of water hit him square in the face. For a minute, he just stood there, not daring to open his eyes in case Tsunami tried to attack him again. When he finally did, Tsunami was in a splash-fighting-stance and was obviously trying not to break into laughter.  
“You...” A full out water-fight erupted. Both did not care that they would get their clothes completely wet that way.  
The fight only paused when Tachimukai missed Tsunami and instead splashed an old lady who did absolutely not look amused.   
“I'm sorry for my junior, Mam, but you know, kids these days”, Tsunami tried to to calm her down while petting Tachimukai's damp hair.  
“Who's actually the responsible one here?”, Tachimukai interjected loudly.  
Tsunami pushed him under water.  
That had caught the younger one by surprise. It had happened so suddenly that he did not even have time to hold his breath and ended up with a mouthful of salty water.  
When he came back to the surface splashing he tried to cough up all of the water. Tsunami softly patted his back in order to help him but probably also to calm him down. The old lady was already gone.  
“You... you did not just do that, did you?”, Tachimukai was finally able to get out. He was wet from head to toes and his clothes, his only clothes, clung tightly against his body. The white shirt he was wearing had gone fully see-through now and his hair stuck to his forehead.  
Tsunami looked at him oddly. “Maybe I did.”  
Tachimukai's mother was not pleased when the two stood, still wet, on her porch.


	2. Chapter 2

“Say, do you guys train in the holidays?”  
Tachimukai looked up from the sink where he was currently washing the dishes from their last meal in.  
“Yeah, we're planning to meet up today. Do you want to tag along?”  
Tsunami grinned. “I have never met anyone from your team! What are they like? Chill like Oumihara or crazy like Raimon?”  
Tachimukai gave the other a freshly cleaned plate to dry off. “Now that I think about it, Yokato is a bit in between. We give our best when we train and play, but are actually really calm.”  
He looked up from a very resistant spot in the pan to look up at Tsunami who was watching curiously.   
“So, your whole team is like you?”   
Tsunami did not wait for an answer as he perked up and turned around to face the radio. He quickly wiped his hands off and made his way over to turn up the volume a bit, of course just so much that Tachimukai's mother would not come over from the living room where she was currently ironing to complain about the volume. “I like that song!” He grinned happily.  
“Those are the Backstreet Boys”, Tachimukai deadpanned.  
Tsunami did not seem to care as he wrongly lip-synced the mushy song, apparently he did not know the lyrics. Tachimukai could not help but laugh.

In the end Tsunami found out that the Yokato Junior High Soccer Club was not like Tachimukai at all. While Toda did accept him to join the training, he constantly watched him from the corner of his eye (“I have my eyes on you, so you'd better not be a spy!” - “Calm down, I'm graduating this year.” - “So am I.”). Even though these would be the last months Toda acted as the captain, he made sure that their chances in the next Football Frontier would not drop because of technique-stealing. Tachimukai wondered how Toda had been okay with him copying God Hand. But somehow Tachimukai had the feeling he and Tsunami were being watched the whole training not only by Toda.  
In the changing rooms Tachimukai got greeted by his fellow teammates who happily threw an arm over his shoulders, teasing him a bit like always and making a bit of smalltalk, finally having holidays was a nice topic after all. Afterwards he made his way over to where Shika and Matsubayashi were pulling their soccer shoes out of their lockers and where also his own locker was located. Tsunami followed him suit, casually grinning at everybody in the room. His fellow first-years had scanned them both calculatingly. Before Tachimukai could even say a word, Shika leaned forward and said: “So this is your precious senior, huh?” Matsubayashi hit him over the head as a response but also sent a knowing look Tachimukai's way.  
But what exactly did Matsubayashi think he knew?  
Back when Raimon had been visiting Yokato to pick up the mysterious notebook, the team had been much more open, showing them the little tricks they knew or just casually exchanging experiences and giving each other tips. But today they just let Tsunami and Tachimukai together for all warm-ups and partner-exercises, apparently not very interested in the guest. Tsunami seemed really happy because of the situation since it was the FFI all over again when they had always partnered up for warming-up. But why was everybody sending glances over the whole time? It did not make any sense at all. It was not like they were a couple in a long-distance-relationship that saw each other for the first time in months – wait. Could the team be thinking...? No way. He and Tsunami did not come across as this, did they? A couple.  
“Hey, Tachimukai! What are you spacing out for? We want to start the match!”, Toda called from where he had already positioned his team on the field. For the sake of practice they had split up in two teams of nine (with Tsunami there it had added up perfectly) with Toda and Tachimukai as captains. It was no secret that Toda planned to leave the soccer club in Tachimukai's care when he graduated, so he was already being trained for what responsibilities came with being captain.  
Of course, Tsunami had also been put on his team.   
“I'm coming!”, he called, after shortly discussing his tactics and formation with his team. He had opted for a two-top formation with three midfielders and three defenders to back them up, a formation that should both be able to score and to defend nicely. And if the midfielders were under too much pressure, he could always move Chikushi up to help them out.  
But somehow his defense just did not work together. It was as if Tsunami tried to proof himself to the Yokato players even though he was clearly the better player and they knew it. He always stole Chikushi's balls and tried to cut off into dribbling techniques even though he had no defending technique at all. It threw the team's rhythm off.  
Tachimukai tried to call out orders from his position in the goal but the defenders clearly did not listen to him. It got especially hairy when Oohori decided to back Chikushi up.   
They were all very relieved when Toda called for a water break.  
Tsunami sat a bit at the edge of the group as he greedily downing the water he was offered shyly by their only manager. A deep frown covered his face. Tachimukai slowly made his way over. Oohori had just sent a not very friendly look his way – he was clearly pissed off. Like the way he usually just got when somebody pointed out that he still did not have anybody to share his romantic hobby with.  
“What's wrong with you today, Tsunami-san?” He sat down on the dusty ground and pulled his knees to his chest.  
“Nothing.”  
Curt. Tachimukai lifted a brow. Something was definitely wrong. Tsunami had seemed fine just this morning, he had not felt any of these untsunamilike vibes until training had started.  
“You're not really riding the waves nicely today.”  
At least that got him a weak smile out of the defender. “Well, the waves are a bit different than in Okinawa.”  
“So you can ride the Okinawa-waves even when there's a giant whirlpool in the ocean but you have a problem when it's a bit wild in Fukuoka?”, Tachimukai teased.   
“Says the guy who didn't dare to go in past his ankles.”  
The rest of the training was better. The teamplays turned out much smoother up to the point that Oohori encouraged Tsunami to use his famous “The Typhoon” to score a goal.  
In the end Tsunami even seemed to have found a soulmate in Akinoshima. Honestly, he was probably the only person to have ever laughed about a joke the reserve goalkeeper made.

It was probably really late already but Tachimukai was to lazy and tired to check. But he still could not find sleep. Tsunami's strange behaviour from this afternoon still puzzled him. And the couple matter. What had thrown Tsunami and his team so off? Had his teammates annoyed Tsunami somehow? Had he annoyed Tsunami somehow? Even though that was a hard thing to do. He had never seen a person that was this carefree.  
Tachimukai rolled onto his side so he could peer down from his bed onto the futon where Tsunami slept. The older one had his back towards him, so maybe he was still awake?  
“Tsunami-san”, he shyly whispered, “are you already asleep?”  
The other stilled and rolled onto his back while looking at Tachimukai surprised. The surprised look made room for a teasing grin. “Shouldn't you be sleeping? It's past your bedtime isn't it?”, he answered in a similar hushed tone but it had a playful edge to it.  
“Pfft. It's my house, I set the bedtime.”  
“I remember your mother sending us to bed about an hour ago,” Tsunami laughed softly, “So, why aren't you asleep yet?” He rolled onto his side to fully face his junior.  
“Well, I've been thinking.” He paused. Tsunami looked at him expectantly and waited for him to go on. Tachimukai shuffled his feet nervously under the light cover and averted his eyes before he carried on. “Uhm, you k-kinda seemed o-off today during training. I-it was a bit w-weird and I, you know, wondered why.”   
The grin faded. Tachimukai looked back at Tsunami who now stared at the ceiling and murmured something that sounded a lot like. “Guess you caught me.”  
“I-I didn't do anything to annoy you, did I?”, Tachimukai frantically asked, a bit louder than he had intended.  
Tsunami chuckled lightly. “No no”, he ran his hand through his pink mane, “I was just kinda... jealous, I guess.”  
“Jealous?”, Tachimukai repeated.  
The older one made a strangled noise and and threw the cover over himself. After a few seconds of struggling he was completely wrapped up and refused to give an answer. Tachimukai blinked. He eyed the pile which contained his friend curiously.  
“Tsunami-san?”, he asked tentatively.  
The other gave only a muffled sound as a reply.  
Tachimukai reached out from his bed to poke Tsunami but found his arm a bit to short to actually touch him. He repositioned himself, half hung over the bed and stretched himself to his full length. Finally he managed to softly poke the pile of cloth. But that was exactly the moment Tachimukai lost his balance and toppled down his bed. He fell flat onto his face, the blanket covering his head. He heard some shuffling before he heard Tsunami call his name.  
“Tachimukai! Are you okay? Hey, come on!”, Tsunami fretted.  
“Ouch..”  
“Jeez, what are you doing? You could have hurt yourself!”  
“I think I did”, whined Tachimukai.  
Tsunami laughed softly while removing the blanket that still covered his junior. Tachimukai sat up slowly and rubbed his slightly bruised chin.  
“Let me see that”, Tsunami said and took the hurt body part into his hands tentatively so he could eye it better. It was a bit red from the fall but looked fine otherwise, there probably wouldn't even be a blue mark the next day.  
When Tsunami let go again, Tachimukai pouted a bit. “Well, this is actually your fault.”  
“How is this my fault?”  
“Because you didn't answer my question!” Tachimukai leaned in and gave the defender a, what he hoped, angry glare. The other started spluttering and avoiding his glare. “So?”  
“Um, you see, that's, well”, Tsunami took a deep breath, “When we met, you were so shy and weren't very close to anybody. But that's only natural because you had just joined the Inazuma Caravan. So when we became friends it was like we were a duo and you know, went through everything together, like during the FFI when you tried to complete Maou the Hand. For me, I never really had a best friend or anything. I got along nicely with everybody but had nobody to share everything with – and then there was you and um, I kinda felt like we were really close and stuff. But when I saw you with your teammates today, I realized that you have other friends of course and they will always come first. And I should have expected that, so it's a pretty stupid thing to be jealous over, don't you think?” Tsunami gave out a fake laugh after his ramble.  
“I don't think that's stupid at all, Tsunami-san”, Tachimukai smiled at him, “because like you said, you get along nicely with everybody. I never knew you felt like that about me and thought I was always being clingy when I tagged along with you. I had always wished that we could be something like best friends. Besides, I wouldn't have invited you over if you were 'just another person' for me, would I?” His smile broadened. It vanished quickly when Tsunami caught him off-guard with a tight embrace. Tachimukai stiffened because he was not exactly sure what he was supposed to do. Return it? Just let him stay like this? He probably would let go soon.   
After a few moments Tsunami still had not budged a bit. “Tsunami-san?”, asked Tachimukai quietly. Tsunami cuddled closer and burried his face in crook of his neck. “I'm tired”, he murmured.  
Tachimukai blushed a deep shade of red. “T-then let me go and you can lay down and sleep.”  
“Don't wanna.”  
“T-then what d-do you want ?”, Tachimukai asked in a wheezy voice.  
“How 'bout cuddling in bed? Best friends do that.”  
Tachimukai was pretty sure that best friends did not do that but was too tired himself to argue. “Alright, then let me get up.” He could practically feel Tsunami grin into his neck when he suddenly lifted him up. “What are you doing?”, Tachimukai hissed. He was put onto the soft mattress with caution and Tsunami joined him while throwing the lite cover over them both.  
“Good night.”  
Tachimukai sighed.


	3. Chapter 3

That Tachimukai's mother was confused when she woke up the two of them the next morning was an understatement. She had found her son tangled up and cuddled close to his Okinawan friend who had his arms wrapped around him and pulled him even closer when Tachimukai's mother loudly screamed “Breakfast!” and slammed the door shut.  
After a morning shower the two of them headed downstairs to be greeted with a table that was covered with a delicious breakfast – Tachimukai's mother was an awesome cook.  
Tachimukai picked around in his natto and looked over to his best friend who just chewed on a rather large piece of fish. “So, what are the plans for today? Is there anything you want to do?”  
He waited patiently for the other finish his fish and gulp it down. His father gave a disapproving look – no matter how much he liked Tsunami, manners were something essential.  
Tsunami looked thoughtful for a moment, then his eyes lit up apparently he had an idea. “Well, I haven't seen much of Fukuoka except the beach and your school – what about you show me more?”  
“Sure!” Tachimukai would have nearly hit himself for not giving Tsunami a short sightseeing-tour through the city but they had actually been very busy the last days.  
“If you do that why not stop by grandpa's restaurant? If you're in Fukuoka you have to try mizutaki”, Tachimukai's mother interjected.  
Tsunami blinked. “Mizutaki?”  
“You don't know? It's Fukuoka's traditional dish. It's, well, chicken and vegetables boiled in stock and then you dip it into ponzu sauce. Grandpa makes the best!”, Tachimukai explained.  
“Bring it!” Tsunami grinned.

“What's the first stop?”, Tsunami asked while Tachimukai bought day-tickets for the subway at the worn-down ticket machine.  
Tachimukai inserted the money. (“You're not gonna pay for this on your own!”- “But you're the guest!” - “Don't talk back to your senior! Just take it!”) “I thought about stopping by the Fukuoka Tower first, so you can charge up your ocean energy.” He smiled playfully. “The sight is very nice.”  
“Ocean is always good.”  
The subway was really full even though it was summer holidays, tourists, Tachimukai supposed. They moved through a few wagons until they found two seats across from to girls who seemed to be around Tsunami's age. When Tachimukai asked if it was okay if he and Tsunami sat there, they just giggled and nodded.  
“Are you two siblings?”, one of them asked. She was really pretty, Tachimukai had to admit. Her dark hair cascaded past her shoulders in wild curls and her eyes were sharp. This was the first time a girl had ever made advance on him even though it was probably directed towards Tsunami. He blushed a bright red and wanted to answer when Tsunami threw an arm around him and gave him a noogie.  
“Nah, I'm just a senior visiting from Okinawa! We don't even look alike, do we?”  
“You're from Okinawa? Amazing! Why would you come all the way here?”, exclaimed the girl's companion who had equally stunning looks. They probably were siblings.  
“Didn't I say? I'm visiting”, returned Tsunami in a way Tachimukai could only describe as rude.  
Tachimukai frantically struggled free from the others iron grip and quickly said: “A-and because of that I'm showing him around town since he should know a bit about Fukuoka's sights and culture when he's already here.”  
“We haven't introduced ourselves yet”, said the girl that had spoken first, “I'm Izanami Oshiro and this is my little sister Azarni. Truth is, we're actually from a small town not far from here and also decided to do some sightseeing. Would you mind if we joined since you know your way around?” Izanami gestured towards Tachimukai.  
Tachimukai thought back to yesterday night and maybe it was better if he spent the day alone with his friend. The girls were nice and all but if they tagged along it was probably not very beneficial for the current situation between him and Tsunami even though they had talked it out. He did not want to provoke another moody Tsunami.  
Unsure Tachimukai slowly opened his mouth to decline the offer – or rather the question but Tsunami beat him to it. Apparently moody-Tsunami was already on the rise. “Are you going for a double date or something? 'Cause you're too forward.”  
Azarni straightened her back and was about to shoot a heated reply back when Tsunami continued. “I know this guy is kinda cute but you're too old for him.”  
“T-Tsunami-san!”   
“Oh look, it's our stop. Good luck next time.” Tsunami grabbed Tachimukai's wrist and dragged him out of the subway rather roughly.   
“That's not our stop at all! And what was that about?”, Tachimukai exclaimed rather upset. In what light would they appear now? If those girls had known that they were from Inazuma Japan... Tachimukai did not want to think about it.  
Tsunami dramatically threw his hands in the air. “They tried to deceive you and wrap you up in their deceitful, girly ways! I had to protect you.” He stated with a serious undertone.  
His junior just stared at him blankly for a few moments. And started laughing loudly. Tsunami blinked. This was probably the first time Tachimukai had laughed so openly in a public place. People were already staring oddly at the pair but he did not care, having his senior childishly worry about him was pure gold. Once Tachimukai had sobered up he attempted a stern look (he failed) and said: “That was rude though.”  
Tsunami scratched the back of his head and laughed sheepishly. “Well, I managed to scare them away that way. It sucks that as a guy you can't simply tell a girl off without being an asshole.”  
“They probably think you're an asshole now, too.”  
The other looked like he had only noticed the fact just now and decided on not commenting.  
The sign above them indicated that the next train to the same destination would arrive in about 15 minutes, so Tachimukai checked where they actually ended up. Their chaotic escape had lead them to Gion station, six stops before their original destination. Close to them was the Sumiyoshi-shrine which Tachimukai had wanted to visit anyway.  
“Tsunami-san, if you could wait for your ocean-power-recharge for a while longer, maybe we could go to the Sumiyoshi-shrine since it's not very far from here? We can head to Fukuoka Tower right afterwards”, Tachimukai suggested.   
Tsunami seemed to ponder for a moment but grinned the next. “You lead the way! If we see some ocean at some point of the day, everything's completely fine with me!”

The shrine was pretty. A cobblestone way led to the formidable building, its entrance guarded by thick red stilts. The roof was a deep black but despite the fact the shrine was warm and welcoming. Tachimukai had visited it a few times during elementary school for field day but it had not changed the years he had not visited. The place was still inhabited by tree sparrows which picked around in the flowerbeds.  
“Woah! This is extremely nice!”, Tsunami exclaimed as he took in his surroundings.   
Tachimukai clutched his hand over the other teen's mouth to quiet him down. “Shhh! Keep it down, Tsunami-san, this place is sacred”, Tachimukai whispered. He was about to let go of Tsunami when he felt something wet touch his hand. As if being shocked by electricity Tachimukai quickly drew his hand back. “Did you you just lick my hand?”, he screeched blushing madly.  
“Now look who's being loud.” The voice wavered under held-back laughter. Tsunami took Tachimukai by the hand and led him to the main hall. “Might as well pray when we're here. The sumiyoshi are gods of the sea after all.”  
“W-we wouldn't want you to have a surfing accident or something.”   
Tsunami threw a few coins in the box that was put there for the offerings and softly pulled the bell, earning a dull, rich sound. He closed his eyes and clap his hands before silently saying his prayers. Taking in Tsunami's profile out of the corner of his eye Tachimukai noticed that Tsunami was actually very handsome when his face did not sport his ever-present dorky grin. Not that he was not like to look at when he smiled brightly -   
Tachimukai stopped himself. His thoughts got out of hand. Quickly, he also clapped his hands once and spoke his prayers.  
“So, what did you wish for?”, Tsunami asked as they made their way back to Gion station.   
“The normal stuff. Health, luck, you know.”  
Tsunami looked thoughtful for a moment. “That's lame.”  
Tachimukai tore his look from the street sign he had just been reading to look at the other boy. “Well, what did you wish for then?” Humor swung in the tone.  
“For example, I wished for your mother to like me so I can come visiting more often. And that we both keep playing soccer so that we'll be able to play for Japan's national team again. And also for passing high school with a good grade so I'll be able to attend the same university as you. Just think about it! We could live together or something!” Tachimukai halted in his steps. By now his face had reached a pink that succeeded Tsunami's haircolour. Slowly turning around Tsunami also halted to smile at Tachimukai – not his usual grin, it was a soft, genuine smile. “You know, we may live pretty far away from each other but I don't want us to loose contact. I'd really like having you in my future and while I can't exactly move out from home yet, I may after high school. Doing internships around Fukuoka while figuring out what I want to do at university and maybe we can start together.”  
Tachimukai was touched to say the least. Nobody had shown him that kind of devotion before, willing to spend their future with him. Not even in kindergarten had a girl openly declared to marry him sometime. His eyes started to sting as Tachimukai tried to fully comprehend what Tsunami had said. He was willing to wait two years until starting university just so they could both attend together which would mean that he would also choose Tachimukai's university and therefore was limited in the courses he could chose from.   
“Ah! Why are you crying now? Did I say something wrong? Look, I'm so-” Tachimukai abruptly cut him off when he flung his arms around Tsunami's waist and pressed his slightly tear-stained face into the fabric of Tsunami's orange shirt. Tsunami awkwardly patted the shorter ones back, clearly not sure what to do. It took a good minute until Tachimukai had sobered up and broke the embrace.  
“You shouldn't do that”, he whispered. When Tsunami's face twisted in confusion, he continued. “Throwing away your future for me. You don't even know if we'll be friends then, so you should not plan out your life like this. Wasn't it you who said to ride the waves? Live the present and take what it gives you?”  
“I do like the present. That's why I'd like to steer my future into a similar way. I don't want to loose you – staying friends would be nice. While I may not be able to fully control the future if you want to we can give our best to not loose contact.” Tsunami cupped Tachimukai's cheeks to wipe away the dried tear trails. “No need to cry.”  
“You! You made him cry!”, an angered shout scared Tachimukai out of his skin and he wiped his head around to see the two girls from the subway only a few meters away. The older one (Tachimukai cursed himself for already having forgotten their names) pointed angrily towards Tsunami.  
“It's the perverted girls!”, Tsunami exclaimed and quickly grabbed his junior by the hand to lead him away in an overhasty sprint. Tachimukai could only hear an unintelligible loud voice calling after them as the Court Hotel and police station flew by.  
After the hectic run they found themselves out of breath in front of Gion station. It appeared they had managed get rid of the two girls. And again Tachimukai found it hard to control his laughter.   
Tsunami sighed. “You're pretty moody today. Just like a pregnant wife.” He earned himself a hard hit to his upper arm. Tsunami mutter an “Ouch.” under his breath.


	4. Chapter 4

This time the trip in the subway was less spectacular by now the rush hour for the workers had passed so they could take seats for themselves. Once the mechanic voice announced Nishijin station both boys hurried to get off the train and exited the clammy cold of the station to be greeted with the sight of Shuyukan High School, one of the oldest schools in Japan. The building was huge. The white walls framed clean windows, much in contrast to Yokato Junior High which was old, run down and the windows almost always dirty.  
“Whoa! What's that building? It's huge!” Tsunami pointed past Shuyukan to a tall building, the base a triangle form and the walls completely clothed in mirrors.  
“That's the Fukuoka Tower, our landmark. It's 234 meters tall but we'll only be able to go to the middle but the view will be great nonetheless.” Tachimukai smiled at Tsunami's obvious amazement, his jaw dropped while he squinted his eyes to see the tower better.  
“I thought it would be a small stone tower or something! Like Pirates of the Carribbean, a stonewall and a small look-out tower. You know like in that scene where Elizabeth fell into the sea.” He reenacted the fall with his hands.  
“Well, I wouldn't like to fall down a hundred meters into the water, so I prefer this.”  
“Don't worry, I'd be Jack Sparrow and save you.” Tsunami clapped him onto the back.  
“You'd also take me hostage to flee.”  
“At some point of the story that gets me a kiss, so I'm satisfied.”  
Tachimukai spluttered. What was with all that weird remarks since Tsunami had come over? They began to heap up and made Tachimukai think back to soccer training when he had already puzzled if they actually came across as a couple. But then, those two girls would not have asked them out on a double date, would they?  
“If I'm Elizabeth – who'd be Will and Commodore Norrington?” If completely hypothetically Tsunami liked him, did he see any rivals? In love. Tachimukai doubted there were any, who would be interested in a little, clumsy boy like him?  
As to not block the entrance to the subway, both began heading into the direction of Fukuoka Tower. Apparently deep in thought, Tsunami put his right hand to his chin as if it would help him to find the perfect persons to fit onto the roles. “It's actually not that difficult to find love rivals, they just don't fit onto the characters.” Tachimukai's head snapped up at that. What? “Well, there are obviously Endou and Haruna. But both don't exactly fit the criteria. Elizabeth loathes Norrington and I don't exactly see you disliking somebody. Will is a childhood friend and while both like each other, they aren't allowed to marry because of their status.” Tsunami paused. “Maybe I should've been Will, he gets more than a kiss.”  
The blush that was almost ever-present today slowly made his way back onto Tachimukai's face. He bit back another exclamation of an embarrassed “Tsunami-san!” because really, this topic was getting much to awkward. Even though he himself had pushed it farther, out of plain curiosity, of course. His senior was dropping a lot of weird hints and he just really wanted to know if he was just being made fun of or if they meant something. Wait. When did he actually want Tsunami to –.  
They made their way to the tower in silence, both not really knowing how to continue the conversation after Tsunami's last statement. The plaza in front of Fukuoka Tower was lined with maple trees, a desperately small amount of green in the gray neighborhood in front of the gigantic building that mirrored the azure colour of the sky.  
“That thing is really tall.” Tsunami broke the silence that had engulfed them for the last 15 minutes. “How much is it exactly?”  
“234 meters, the platform is at 123 meters”, Tachimukai murmured and stole a glance at his companion who did not look as easy-going as before. Tsunami had a great fear of airplanes, Tachimukai had known that. But could it be that it was just height in general?   
Tsunami shielded his eyes against the sun to look to the tip of Fukuoka Tower and gulped.  
“We don't have to go if you don't want to, going up to is not everybody's thing”, Tachimukai offered.  
“Nah, we're going in!”, Tsunami said determined and stalked off over the plaza.

The line inside was surprisingly short, so they got in relatively quickly. Both payed 500 Yen each and made their way past the borders to the elevator that was supposed to take them to the platform. Tachimukai noticed Tsunami giving the elevator a skeptical look, he was obviously not comfortable with going all the way up. Upon entering the small, mirrored room Tsunami's knee's began shaking and sweat started pearling down his forehead. Seeing as they were cramped with about 12 people on 4 m², Tachimukai deemed it safe to scoot closer to his senior to make their arms touch. Maybe he would find a bit of comfort in the light touch. And seemingly he did because Tsunami scooted closer and bent down to the level of Tachimukai's ear and whispered low and huskily: “I'm not very good with heights – would you mind if I held your hand? As an assurance?”  
And while Tachimukai knew that this fact was the truth, he could not help but feel like this was again one of Tsunami's – dare he say – hints. Which they are not because Tsunami does not like him that way. He nods tentatively as does not know what to answer and he feels Tsunami's fingers sneak their way in between his own. They stay there limply – not at all a tight grip by a frightened person who sought reassurance. Oh god.  
The elevator reached the top with an annoying ding. The doors slid open to reveal a triangular room, all three sides were made out of glass so you could see all of the outside. The view was spectacular. Tachimukai himself had never been to the platform even though he lived in Fukuoka but since he and Tsunami were sightseeing, he guessed it was part of every tourist's list to stop by. Tachimukai quickly broke his handcontact with Tsunami to sprint of to the window-side that had a sign reading “NORTH”. The north-side gave a gorgeous view of the sea, the azure waves lazily playing with the beach. Tachimukai's mouth opened in awe, he should heave come up here sooner.   
“This is amazing, isn't it, Tsunami-san?”   
That's when Tachimukai noticed that his friend had not followed him. Turning his head around Tachimukai quickly spotted him. Tsunami was pressed against the wall next to the elevator, his knees shaking more than ever and a frantic look on his tanned face, Tachimukai could swear he was even a bit pale.  
Quickly Tachimukai made his way back over. Tsunami tried throwing him an accusing look but his panic was still dominant on his face. “Y-you let go of my hand.”  
“You could have just said so if the height scares you.” He offered the other his hand nonetheless. Tsunami grabbed it as soon as it was offered, his hands wear sticky with sweat of panic. “Do you want to go down?”  
“I-I'm a man. I'm gonna do this”, Tsunami said not really convincingly.   
Looking down onto the miniature version of the city would probably not help Tsunami at all, so Tachimukai slowly led him to the side he was previously standing. Maybe the sight of the ocean would make him a bit more comfortable. A glance to his side told him that Tsunami had his eyes squeezed shut, maybe he should just lead him to the elevator but that would hurt his friend's manly pride. When they were positioned right in front of the window, Tachimukai gave Tsunami's hand a light squeeze. “You can open your eyes now.”  
Tsunami put up his free arm to cover his face just in case and then he slowly opened his right eye, the other followed just a second later. Tachimukai watched the other's face light up at the sight of the blue endlessness. Pressing his right hand against the glass, Tsunami leaned in closer. Judging by the sweatyness of the hand Tachimukai still held within his own, he could only hope the cleaning staff would not be angered when they would see the handprint.  
“Whoa, this is extremely nice!” Tsunami's eyes wandered from the ocean more downwards and widened when he saw the thin line of the beach, the small houses, cars as big as bugs – his eyes rolled back and his knees went weak and he stumbled backwards, Tachimukai caught him.  
“Tsunami-san!”

They were sitting outside on the plaza in the shadow of the trees, Tachimukai tried to fan Tsunami some air with his bare hands. Luckily, the older one had not fainted, the dizziness had just taken over and it lasted just for a few minutes. Tsunami still looked like he had just seen ten horror movies in a row and was slumped on one of the benches on the plaza.   
“I'm sorry.” Tachimukai felt pretty guilty for having proposed the idea to go up top.  
Tsunami lazily opened one eye to look at him and gave a weak grin. “Nah, it's my fault for being so stubborn.” He wiped away the sweat that still glistened on his forehead. “But maybe this would be the best time for a refreshment.”  
After Tsunami had gulped down a few more mouthfuls of water which Tachimukai had luckily brought with him, the duo made their way to Hawk Town which had earned its name due to the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks', a baseball teams', stadium that was located there. Most tourists were interested in the adjacent Hawks Town Mall which had become one of Fukuoka's most popular sights. And while there were a lot of new buildings, the tradition that was omni-present in Fukuoka still shone through.  
The district was not far from their current location, so they made their way over by foot. The sun was again blazing down on them, not helping Tsunami's condition at all. But the way back to Nishijin Station and from Tojinmachi Station to Hawks Town was longer than from Fukuoka Tower to Hawks Town.  
Tsunami did not see the tradition between the Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk and the huge dome but loved Hawk Town nonetheless. But he could not bite back one comment. “What exactly is your grandpa doing here? This is too modern for grandpas. No-grandpa-zone.”  
Tachimukai sighed. “The Hawks are his favourite team so he wants to be as close as possible to them.”  
“What about soccer?”  
“Not his thing.” Tachimukai held back another sigh.  
He lead Tsunami over the red venue that connected Fukuoka Dome and the Hawks Town Mall where his grandfather's shop was in. The mall itself was partly open-air with shops lining a maze of small cobblestone streets. Directly at the entrance was the Hard Rock café which Tachimukai promised to visit later with Tsunami.  
They could not help but window-shop at the huge variety of stores from different cultures. A seemingly European man sold crêpe out of a small red waggon while a few meters farther they found a small tea-shop that canvassed true English tea.  
It took them a small while to reach the main hall, the artificial light inside made the floor shine. Tsunami's jaw dropped as he took in the huge building, the seemingly endless halls and the numerous stores next to each other.  
Tachimukai knew the way to the food court by heart, he himself had worked part-time in his grandfather's shop a few times during especially busy weekends. During the FFI everybody had been amazed at his ability to balance several dishes at once when he got his lunch – sometimes such skills were useful if it meant to be able to snatch the main dish, salad and the biggest portion of desert at once.  
All across the ceiling hung huge banners that sported motivational slogans like “GO HAWKS!” and advertised the baseball team. Tachimukai did not care much about them. Baseball just did not seem particularly interesting to him, his passion was soccer, much to his grandfather's dismay. On nearly every occasion the family met up the both of them ended up in at least one heated discussion about which sport was better. One time his grandfather sulked so much afterwards that he did not show up at Tachimukai's soccer game the next day. Which had been pretty important.  
“Why would somebody need that many stores?”, Tsunami wondered as they walked down the nth hallway as he took everything in with awe. Apparently his circulation had stopped protesting once they were back inside and the tower far away. Before Tachimukai could start to reply he already continued. “Can we tour this place, too, after lunch?”  
“Sure, I don't see why not. Maybe you can check the guide which shops exactly you want to go to because I don't think we'll be able to see it all before dinner.” Tsunami hummed in agreement as the food court came in sight.  
In contrast to the rest of the building Grandpa Tachimukai's restaurant was kept very traditional, inclusive wooden floors. It was a huge room that smelled like the delicious food a very pretty waitress was serving right now. Her name was Mika, Tachimukai knew her from working there. When she saw them entering she skipped over happily, nearly hitting a customer over the back of his head with her tray.  
“Hey! We were waiting for you guys, what took you so long?”, she chirped, now hugging the tray close to her body.  
Tachimukai blinked. “Waiting?”  
“Yeah, your mother called beforehand to tell the boss you would be stopping by today so we would keep you two seats free.”   
With an awkward grin Tachimukai answered: “Could have thought about this myself actually.”  
Mika shifted her gaze over Tachimukai to look at Tsunami. “And who did you bring along here? I know you played in Inazuma Japan, too, but your name kinda slipped. Sorry!” She giggled.  
“No problem, I get food here, so everything's fine! My name is Jousuke Tsunami.” The dorky grin was present again.  
Mika started to lead them to a small table in a badly lighted corner of the restaurant, probably the reason why it was still free. The lamp directly above it only sparsely managed to enlighten the table, it definitely called for a replacement. But Tachimukai was glad that they did not have to wait to get a table. Even though Tsunami did not look as pale anymore, sitting down would definitely do him good. Tachimukai made a note to buy more to drink later as his reserves were low, in case Tsunami had a relapse.  
The young waitress skipped away to let them study the menu, even though Tachimukai already knew it by heart. Tsunami had snatched the menu card from its holder and skimmed through.  
“So we're gonna get this mizu-something?”, asked Tsunami while he searched for it in the menu. Tachimukai pried it from his hands and turned to the page for the searched dish. “Yep. And it's called mizutaki. You usually have chicken cooked in broth but the other stuff you put in is kind off open. Everybody likes different stuff.” Tachimukai pointed towards the different versions. “We can choose here what we would like – some things are essential, like the tofu and cabbage but not everybody likes spinach rolls or maitake.”  
Tsunami blinked. Why make a simple dish so complicated? It was basically just a hot pot, was it not? He read through the ingredients list for every version. “So... what do you usually take?”  
Tachimukai pointed towards the third from the top. “This one – my father really likes harusame noodles. And my mother the shiitake.” He shrugged. “It's actually a family dish. I like this one because it's spicy. The others aren't that much.”  
Tsunami looked skeptical when Tachimukai mentioned the dish to be spicy. “Then we'll take this one!”  
“Are you sure? If you don't like spicy things, maybe-”  
“Nah, I'm okay with spicy stuff. And I like harusame noodles, too.” Tsunami grinned.   
“Yeah, they really take in the flavour of the broth.”  
An awkward silence followed only to be broken again by Mika who came to take their orders. Both quickly told her what they wanted to drink and Tachimukai ordered the mizutaki. Mika scribbled it down and moved towards another table. The shop was very busy, it was noon after all.  
They engaged in a light conversation to pass the time until their orders arrived. Topics like which high school Tsunami wanted to attend (he still had not chosen) arose and how the Oumihara soccer club members were doing. Apparently Rinka missed Gouenji dearly, looking after the flame striker during his stay in Okinawa had made the become pretty close – Gouenji seemed to busy now though to even call her up shortly or to reply to her text messages. Tsunami worked himself up into the topic as the little girl was something like a little sister to him. Tachimukai did not want to tell him that Gouenji probably did not have the slightest interest in the younger girl.  
“Yo, boys! Move a bit, here comes something good!” An old, sun-kissed man stood next to their table with a orange, decorated pot and waited for them to move over their drinks and arms so he could set it down. He grinned down at them. Tachimukai and Tsunami scrambled to make room on the too small table and the old man set it down on a small heater to keep it warm, Mika who had been behind him brought small bowls and the dipping sauces.  
“Tsunami-san, this is my grandfather. Grandpa, this is Tsunami-san, my friend from Okinawa”, Tachimukai quickly introduced. The older man reached over the table to give Tsunami a quick but strong handshake.  
“Nice to meet you”, Tsunami replied, giving a his signature dorky grin.  
“Heh, you rarely bring friends to my restaurant, Yuuki, what gives me the honor?”, Tachimukai's grandfather asked as he sat down across from Tsunami.  
“Well, when you're in Fukuoka, you need to eat mizutaki and since you run a shop, well, it would have been rude to go somewhere else”, Tachimukai's voice dripped with an uncharacteristic amount of sarcasm.  
“Hooo, are you implying somebody makes better mizutaki than me?”, the older man drawled.  
Tachimukai rolled his eyes. “Maybe.” His grandfather engulfed him in a tight headlock and laughed loudly as he ruffled up Tachimukai's hair. Tsunami could only watch in awe. He had understood that the both of them had a very strange relationship but it was very out of character for his junior to openly provoke somebody, even if it was somebody close to him and just for fun.  
Finally, after a lot of struggling, Tachimukai's grandfather finally let go of his grandson and shot Tsunami a glance. “I had always hoped that you would sit here with a cute girl one day...”  
“As if I would come to your shop on a date”, Tachimukai deadpanned, “you would scare any girl away. And it's not very romantic.”  
Tsunami chuckled nervously.  
Tachimukai's grandfather pouted, sat up straight and folded his arms. “Ha! My shop is for families and married couples who appreciate traditional Japanese food. Of course you don't understand, you're just a kid.” He lazily looked at Tachimukai who promptly wanted to shoot back a reply but Tsunami deemed it his duty to keep the pair from ripping of their heads. “So, how do you eat this stuff?”  
Both immediately looked at him. “Ah, Yuuki explain it to him, I need to go back into the kitchen.” With that Tachimukai's grandfather got up and marched around the counter into the said room. Tachimukai gave a relieved sigh.  
Tsunami chuckled. “You guys should be nicer to each other.”  
“Urgh, I would if I could. It's not easy with him”, Tachimukai replied as he lifted the cover off the pot to reveal a huge variety of different vegetables, arranged nicely next to pieces of chicken, tofu and some noodles.   
“This looks good!” Tsunami took in the aroma. “And it smells pretty good, too! I still don't get why you two don't get along though. He seems okay.”  
Tachimukai helped himself to something of everything and placed it into the small bowl Mika had set on the table earlier. Tsunami quickly did the same. “I guess he's just disappointed because I don't come after him at all and am interested in totally different things. I didn't even attend his old middle school because it didn't have a soccer club. That was such a drama back then. He was near to disowning me.” Tachimukai sighed again. “Oh yeah, how to eat this! Basically you just take the things you want out of the pot and add a bit of broth and then dip the chicken and vegetables into the ponzu or soy sauce.” He gestured to the small bowls.  
Tsunami nodded in understanding, this was easy.  
Both ate in silence for a while before Tsunami started speaking again: “Today felt a bit like a date though. Even though you said, you wouldn't go to this place on a date.”  
Tachimukai choked on the spinach roll he had just been eating. After a lot of coughing and hard claps on his back from Tsunami, he was finally able to swallow it. “What?”, Tsunami half-screeched.  
“Just sayin'. It's like a sightseeing-date!” Tsunami grinned.  
Tachimukai threw him a calculating while taking a sip from his orange juice (his throat was raw from all the coughin). Tsunami was getting more suspect by day. All these weird hints... today was very strange.   
Seeing that Tachimukai would not reply any time soon, Tsunami carried on. “Imagine you'd walked around town with Haruna – Kidou would have killed you because it would have been like a date.”  
Now that just sounded like a really bad excuse. Tsunami's first sentence had definitely hinted that Tachimukai and him were on a date. Not like today could have been a hypothetical date.  
“That may be, but I would have gone to a little restaurant in the shopping district though. I wouldn't want to risk my grandfather constantly popping in”, Tachimukai finally replied.  
Tsunami hummed and decided to drop the subject and instead dug in.


End file.
